Tourism. Trends. Tactics. Technology.

January 17, 2019

Chalk it up to a great idea that I saw, photographed...but never connected the dots.

We were on a destination assessment assignment in Iowa a couple summers ago when I spotted a farmer selling carrots in a totally different way (click picture to enlarge). One sign read, "Carrots: $2/bunch." The other read, "Ugly Carrots: $1/bunch."

I chuckled and asked the farmer how his strategy was working. He grinned back and said, "I always sell out of the ugly ones first." When I asked what percentage of his crop was "ugly," he replied, "about a third...and I used to throw them away."

A thousand miles away, Abhi Ramesh was learning the same thing. According to the website for his Philadelphia based firm, "Misfits Market," over $1 trillion of food is wasted each year, either getting tossed at the farm, rotting in warehouses or going unsold in stores until it's inedible. Much of this is due to "modern-day beauty standards for food." Ugly fruits, misshapen vegetables, and delicious but imperfectly-sized produce are squandered at every level. Just a quarter of this wasted food could be used to feed the entire starving population of the world.

And that was the inspiration behind Misfits...and, like my Iowa farmer, they sell at up to half off. For $19, they'll ship 10-12 pounds of imperfect fruits and vegetables to your door, enough to feed a couple for a week. A larger box for bigger families is also available for $35. They're starting slowly, rolling out the organic service geographically in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Abhi hopes New York is next.

June 20, 2018

I've noted an interesting phenomenon on commercial airliners. As they have asked deplaning passengers to close window shades to keep the cabin cool for the next flight, an increasing number of next flight travelers opt not to open said windows.

For someone, like me, that enjoys watching take-off, the landscape and landing, this is a little unnerving. Yet, there I was a few weeks ago, in a section of the plane where not a single window shade was open.

Is it laziness...or do a majority of fliers actually not want to see outside the fusillade?

Enter Emirates Airlines, which has just announced plans to fly jets with no windows (more structurally sound and more cost efficient). Instead, they plan to install video panels, fed by cameras on the exterior of the plane, to show folks like me what's out there.

June 19, 2018

As cool as Eco-Tourism is, he says...it's Ego-Tourism upon which we should focus.

According to new research, over half of young professional travel is chosen as a way to make their friends envious. And, it's not just the young, as 15% of boomers take the possibility of envy-inducing posts into consideration when booking.

Narcissism aside...as Arnie says: "Being sensitive to the range of how an ego manifests itself can be crucial in qualifying clients and making sure their ego needs will be met during a trip. But understanding the role ego plays during the actual sales process can be equally important to your business."

April 05, 2018

For Star Trek fans, The Mirror Universe is a universal favorite. In it, the Starship Enterprise comes face to face with an alternative universe in which their Kirk and Spock are evil, hell-bent on universal domination. White is black, up is down...the mirror universe is the polar opposite of the Federation we all know and love.

After completing his annual marketing presentation to the County Board, DMO CEO Tony Smithers recently faced a series of questions and criticisms for not including the promotion of cannabis in this year's campaign. And for not having someone from the cannabis industry on his Board!

September 25, 2017

If I had a Franklin for every time a community leader, politician or DMO Board Member asked me how their Destination Marketing Organization compared to others, we'd be able to take a round-the-world vacation with cash to spare. Unfortunately, such data has historically been restricted to members of the DMO-sector Trade Association, Destinations International...and, then, only to those that paid for the data.

But, as they say, "It's a Brand New Day." And, the data collection for the report that contains all the comparative data about destinations, taxes, and DMO budgets, governance and operations is open this week to non-members. It's Destinations International's way of building a significantly more robust database of data, especially in the small-to-medium DMO budget size category.

The catch? There really isn't one. Any DMO (member or otherwise) that completes a majority of the questions in the online survey will receive the final report at no charge. And, we all benefit from a much more meaningful set of data points when those questions arise. And, like the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), it will make participating organizations better.

January 18, 2017

Terri and I were on a Destination Assessment assignment a couple years ago when we stumbled upon a Farmer's Market. I was instantly drawn to one vendor that was offering his best produce...along side his "worst" (click on image to enlarge).

I asked him which sold out first. He laughed and said, "the ugly ones."

Indeed, over a fourth of all produce in this country is thrown out because it's deemed not "pretty" enough for a grocery store or restaurant to purchase. That's billions of pounds of food waste and billions of dollars lost.

But a new initiative at Hy-Vee grocery stores is hoping to reverse that trend. Called "Misfits," Hy-Vee is taking a page from the playbook of our Farmer's Market friend and offering "ugly" fruit and veggies at 30% off.

April 12, 2016

I've been saying it for as long as I can remember. It's the culture of a place (not the attractions, facilities or hotels) that completes the destination. And, there's no more universally embraced aspect of culture as Music.

And, why we've been loving listening to DentonRadio.com over the past couple months as one of a handful of internet stations that provides the aural background for our office and life. As Denton CVB CEO Kim Phillips tells the story, it was a chance meeting with a local entrepreneur that was working on an online opportunity to connect local artists to consumers. Coincidently, the Bureau had been contemplating how to better connect the dots between music and visitors...but didn't have the connections or expertise on staff. You can guess the rest of the story.

Similar to Spotify or Pandora, online listeners are able to click to find where performers which they are listening to are performing next...or other Denton talent from the same genre. Both DentonRadio.com and the CVB brought assets to the joint venture that the other couldn't do on their own.

And, isn't that the way we should all be viewing the development and curation of content for our destinations?

These three DMOs are breaking some sensational new ground. Here's hoping their stories get picked up at State, Regional and National Destination Marketing conferences this year!

February 17, 2016

At least that's how Tone Moore and his wife Mickey view their new venture. And, with almost 100 different flavors (Smokey Bacon, Green Apple, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt...you get the idea), the company is rockin' it with both walk-in and online plays.

I couldn't help but be taken by a quote from a recent feature in the Times-Mirror: "His customers give him ideas for new flavors. He explores them all, even the absurd. Cilantro and lime (which doesn't sound absurd)? Sure, why not? Coconut Curry? He'll give it a whirl."